Republicans are furious that Hunter Biden got a plea deal that will keep him out of prison. What really makes them furious, though, is that the plea deal will probably put the matter to bed for most Americans. They wanted hearings and allegations to drag out till next year so they could make it a campaign issue, not that many people really cared. Despite years of investigations, no evidence emerged that connected Joe Biden to any nefarious activities, but that isn’t going to stop Republicans from trying to make the connections.

Ever since Nixon, Republicans have been trying to make the case that Democrats are just as corrupt as they are, but it never works out. Jimmy Carter, the first Democratic president after Nixon, had few scandals in his administration. Despite years of throwing out unfounded and often crazy conspiracy theories, the best Republicans could pin on Bill Clinton was an extra-marital affair that looks tame compared to Donald Trump’s sexual escapades. Obama’s administration may have been the most scandal free in modern history. 

No, Republicans are a far more corrupt party. It probably has to do with their view of government. They don’t believe it works so they don’t pay much attention to who they put in charge. Remember “Heckuvajob, Brownie”? As Katrina drowned New Orleans, we learned that the head of FEMA was an incompetent political appointee with no experience in emergency management. 

Democrats, on the other hand, want government to work. They have an army of competent bureaucrats and administrators dedicated more to public service than making money. They believe government policies and programs can improve the lives of Americans, while Republicans believe that government can’t do anything right so it doesn’t matter who is in charge. Hence, Donald Trump. 

Since the early 1900s, Republican administrations have more often been marked by their scandals. Think Teapot Dome, Watergate, Iran-Contra, Katrina, January 6. While Democrats are certainly not corruption free, they don’t often have scandals that reach so close to the top levels of government despite the vivid imagination of right-wing media outlets like Fox News. 

To make up for the lack of real evidence against Democrats, Republicans investigate. They investigated the Clintons ad nauseum and never came up with much of anything substantial besides Bill Clinton’s sexual affairs. They’ve been trying to tie Hunter Biden’s business dealings to his father since before the 2020 elections and have come up with nothing. Of course, that’s not the point. The investigation is an end in itself, designed to muddy the waters of their own corruption. Their whole Donald Trump defense is, “Democrats are just as bad as we are.” They just can’t prove it. 

Republicans don’t believe in accountability. As I said, they just believe in investigations. Hunter Biden has been held accountable and it makes them furious. They’ll scream about preferential treatment but even Erick Erickson, a guy who would vote for the Devil himself before voting for a Democrat, said, “The Hunter Biden deal indeed reeks of favoritism and partiality by his father’s DOJ. However, it is also true first-time offenders frequently get deals like this.” Translation: It might look like preferential treatment if you’re looking for it, but it’s really not.

The Hunter Biden episode demonstrates the GOP’s disdain for accountability and justice. Hunter Biden has admitted wrong-doing and got the same treatment anyone else in a similar situation would have received. Republicans wanted either to lock him up for years or to keep investigating him. Otherwise, in their little minds, that’s not equal treatment. Again, they are victims of the system they like to abuse.